It had been a few weeks since the Kamado Brother's had started training with Miss Mitsuri. Surprisingly Tanjiro was pretty good at Flexibility Training. And the Love Hashira always made them lots of delicious food. Things were going okay. However, a letter from Rokuta suddenly arrived. Tanjiro peeked at it from where he was stretching, "who's it from?" he asked curiously. "Rokuta" Gyutaro replied, as he opened it. "Oh wow! He's that good at writing now?! What did he say?" he asked with a smile. As he read the letter, Gyutaro's expression darkened.
"What is it big Brother?" Tanjiro asked, smelling the older Kamado's worry. "We have to go home Tanjiro. Right now" the green-haired young man said firmly. "Right. Let's go then" Tanjiro agreed.
U*G.K
Rokuta sat in his Siblings room in the house they'd been given. Clenching his fists around his Kimono, and the letter in his hand. The 7-year-old had tears in his eyes and was struggling not to let them fall. He hoped his Oldest Brother's had gotten his letter by now. He had to go see Kiriya as soon as possible. "Rokuta!" Tanjiro cried, causing the boy to look up instantly.
As he saw Gyutaro and Tanjiro run over to him, the black-haired boy stood up, beginning to sob, "Tanjiro! Gyutaro!" Rokuta wailed, running to meet them. Tanjiro scooped his baby Brother up into his arms as he cried, "oh Rokuta! It's okay, it's going to be okay" he said reassuringly, rubbing the little boy's back. "T-Tanjiro! K-Kiriya- h-his family is- *sob* I have to see him! I have to see him now! Please" Rokuta begged, clutching onto Tanjiro's Haori.
"Okay. Okay, let's go see him. We'll go right now" Gyutaro said.
U*G.K
After hurrying to the Ubuyashiki Estate with Rokuta in Tanjiro's arms, they knocked on the door. One of Kagaya's daughter's answered. "Oh! Gyutaro, Mr Kamado. What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. Her Father had literally just sent a letter to the Oldest Kamado. "Hello. Can we see Kiriya please? It's important" Tanjiro asked politely. Upon seeing the state Rokuta was in, the little girl nodded, "alright, come in," she said, stepping to the side and letting the boy's in. "Also Gyutaro, Father wants to speak with you. He just sent out a letter, but I assume you didn't get it?" the white-haired girl asked.
"No, we rushed over here after Rokuta got a letter from Kiriya, so any other letters didn't get to me" Gyutaro replied. He looked at Tanjiro, and placed Rokuta down next to him, "go with Tanjiro to see Kiriya, okay Rokuta? I have to go see the Master, alright? But I'll catch up with you both soon" the green-haired man explained. The 7-year-old wiped his eyes and nodded, "okay" he said with a sniff. Tanjiro took their baby Brother's hand and walked away, while Gyutaro followed the girl. "Um, I'm sorry, but which one are you?" he asked. The girl turned to look at him, "I am Kuina. You can tell because I always wear an orange tie with my Obi" she explained.
Gyutaro nodded in understanding, though was confused why she had gone to that much detail. Eventually they reached Kagaya's room, finding the man lying in his Futon with Amane and two of his daughters by his side. Gyutaro tried not to cringe at the state he was in. Most of his body was covered in bandages, from the top of his face to his arms, but most of what was exposed bore his curse, the skin pink and rotting. Only his mouth area was free of it. Gyutaro nodded to the white-haired woman and girls, before kneeling down in front of the man.
He couldn't deny he had some complicated feelings regarding him. He had saved Ume and Nezuko from death at the hands of the Hashira. Kagaya was also his relative, but he hardly knew him. The Kamado's were more of a family to him, despite not having any blood relations to them. Gyutaro had watched his Father wither away in bed, slowing dying of illness, and now so was Kagaya. He really wasn't sure what to feel at this point. But he had been summoned here for a reason. "You summoned me Master?" he asked, voice steady.
"Yes *pant*. Gyutaro. Do you remember *pant* the vision you had about my future?" Kagaya asked weakly. Gyutaro's eyes widened, remembering the vision which had sent him to the ground with it's intensity: Muzan confronting him and Amane. And then this mansion blowing up. He swallowed, "it's time, isn't it?" he asked. "I believe, *pant* in the next couple of days, Muzan will arrive. As you saw in your vision *pant* our children weren't here. I would like to have them *pant* moved to a special safe-house today, to keep them safe" Kagaya explained.
"Alright, I understand. However, I want all of the children there, except the Butterfly girls. As you know, Muzan is after Nezuko, and the rest of my Siblings would be in danger too, along with the Shinazugawa Siblings if fighting were to break out in the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters. I don't want any of the innocent children living here to die" Gyutaro said. "That's easy enough to arrange. We'll have the Kakushi move them all today" Amane agreed. "Thank you" the green-haired young man said gratefully. "After my death, Kiriya will *pant* become the next, Head of the Corps. He will be directing everyone, from the Safe House *pant* with help from our ally".
"Ally? Who do you mean?" Gyutaro asked in confusion. "People you know. Two Demons by the name of Tamayo and Yushiro" Amane explained. Gyutaro's eyes widened, "Miss Tamayo and Yushiro are coming to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters?" he asked in surprise. "They will be helping us weaken Muzan. Plus the Cure is ready to be given to Ume and Nezuko. The sooner Nezuko gets the cure, the sooner overcoming the sun will be out of Muzan's reach forever" Amane said. Gyutaro gasped, before grinning in delight, "do you mean it?! The cure is ready?!" he asked in excitement. "It seems so. Please, express my *pant* congratulations to your Sisters for me" Kagaya said with a faint smile on his lips.
"What about the Blue-Spider Lilly? Have there been any breakthroughs with that?" Gyutaro asked, remembering the apparently mythical flower suddenly. "Ah yes, Shinobu has been studying the flower. And she has discovered that it may hold the key to creating a poison that will destroy Muzan from the inside out, weakening him enough for the Corps to kill him. She isn't quite there yet, but Miss Tamayo should be able to help her with that, since she no longer needs to work on the cure" Amane replied. Gyutaro couldn't help laughing slightly in amazement, "we're going to crush that Bastard!" he said with a feral grin.
Kagaya smiled, "I truly hope so" he replied softly.
U*G.K
Tanjiro and Rokuta hurried to where the older boy could smell Kiriya, Rokuta practically dragging the burgundy-haired teen by the hand. Finally they saw the boy sitting on the Engawa on the other side of the house. He was trembling and looked to be desperately trying to keep himself from crying. "Kiriya!" Rokuta cried, letting go of Tanjiro's hand and sprinting over to his best friend. The black-haired boy gasped and his head shot up, as he got to his feet. "Rokuta!" he cried, running over to him. The youngest Kamado met him halfway and grabbed him into a tight hug, "it's okay, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere Kiriya" Rokuta said.
After a moment, tears started falling down the Ubuyashiki Heir's cheeks, and his face scrunched up into a look of pure agony. He clutched onto the other boy with all of his strength and wailed. As he did, Kiriya's legs gave out, and Rokuta wobbled with his effort to steady him. The other boy was still older than him after all. Tanjiro quickly moved to scoop the two boys up into his arms. He carefully placed them down on the Engawa, neither caring about their shoes. Kiriya buried his face in Rokuta's shoulder and sobbed brokenly. "I don't want him to die! Why does my family have to go through this?! We didn't turn Muzan into a Demon! It's not fair! I want my Father and Mother!" he wailed, letting out all of the pain, frustration, despair, fear, fury, all of the emotions he'd carried with him since the day he was born into this family.
Tanjiro stared at the two boys, feeling helpless to make the Ubuyashiki boy feel better. Rokuta didn't say anything, just let Kiriya clutch him and sob while he rubbed friends back soothingly. He knew that he didn't and could never understand what Kiriya was going through. But he could be there for him while he cried.
U*G.K
Finally, all of the details had been figured out, and Kagaya let Gyutaro go find his younger Brothers. When he did find them, he felt a warm smile fall on his face. Rokuta was hugging Kiriya tightly, both boys being asleep on Tanjiro's lap. His younger Brother was stroking both boy's hair gently, and seemed calm. But Gyutaro had known Tanjiro since he had been born, and he could see the look of anger on his Brother's face easily. Amane came out a few minutes later and, finding her Son asleep, gently took him to bed with a nod at the two Older Brothers. "I'll carry him" Gyutaro said softly, taking Rokuta into his arms so Tanjiro could stand up.
As the boys walked back to the Love Estate, Gyutaro glanced down at Tanjiro. "I'll tell you once we get back and we're alone" he said. Tanjiro looked up at him with a frown, "alright" he agreed. Then they fell silent.
U*G.K
Upon getting back home, they found most of their Siblings playing. Hanako was gone, but Kanna explained that she'd gone to the Butterfly Mansion to visit Hakuji. Gyutaro wondered how Hakuji was doing. He had to admit that the other Demon had been good for his youngest Sister. After putting Rokuta down for a nap, Gyutaro took Tanjiro into a separate room and told him everything about Kagaya's plan and their plans for all the children in the Corps. "So he's really going to do it," Tanjiro said sadly, clenching his fists, before he sighed, "his body is already giving off a stench of death. The Master wouldn't live more than a week more anyway. If this is how he wants to end his life, then we can't stop him" he said, hanging his head.
Then he looked up at his Older Brother, "when are we going to tell our Siblings about you adopting the Ubuyashiki children?" Tanjiro asked. "There's too much about to happen. We should wait until everything is over" Gyutaro replied. "Our training with Mitsuri should be done soon, we need to focus on it" he continued. Tanjiro nodded, "alright" he agreed sadly.